Hey mog86uk, seeing as you're very good in Japanese, what is your thoughts on the JLPT test? I'm… - Feed Post by KenjiSama
Hey mog86uk, seeing as you're very good in Japanese, what is your thoughts on the JLPT test? I'm thinking after learning grammar and all the vocabulary on this site (Kanji too), I wanted to try taking JLPT 4. Should I or should I not?
posted by KenjiSama
Comments 2
Should you take JLPT? I'm definitely not really the best person to ask.
I've never taken JLPT before, partly because I'm too lazy to organise myself to travel to London to take the test (not really that far away at all, but still) and also my work-sleep pattern is extremely bad that I'm never awake much during the day (3am here at the moment!).
The main reason I've never taken it is because I learn Japanese as more of a hobby. I mainly just aim to be able to read and listen to Japanese without struggling. I don't have any real goals about visiting Japan (I've never even travelled abroad before) so I've not really seen much need to work my way through the JLPT levels and get certificates.
Recently I've become a little bit interested in taking it, mainly just for a rough idea of where all my haphazard learning has gotten me to, to figure out where I'm lacking, so now I'm considering it. I reckon I'd only be able to pass N4 right now without doing any specific revision for JLPT. I haven't studied grammar for a while so I'm pretty rusty in that area.
This might not be correct but I've heard N2 and N1 look fairly respectable to employers in Japan, however I don't think they even care much about N3 and lower. I imagine with your goals being very different to mine, passing JLPT levels might be a sensible thing to do.
http://www.jlpt.jp/e/samples/forlearners.html
I recommend checking this link for an example of what to expect when taking each level of the tests. Probably looks pretty intimidating right now(?) but I imagine you can buy JLPT workbooks which prepare you well for it.
Would be best if other people, users who've actually taken JLPT before answer your question. :)
Whether you want to take it or not, is up to you. If you want to know if N4 is useful or not, then no, it's not. N1 or N2 are what employers want (N1 than N2, though). Having said that, I've taken N4, 3, and 2. I think the test serves as a good benchmark. I took the tests to stay motivated. I'm the type of person that needs something to study for.
I passed N4 (it was called ３級 when I took it) before I came to Japan, and I'm glad I did. I had a solid foundation, so I was able to pick up a lot in just a few months of being here.
